Biodiscovery Act 2004
LegislationReferenced in 3 bills
Environmental Protection (Great Barrier Reef Protection Measures) and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2019
This bill strengthens Queensland's laws to protect the Great Barrier Reef from agricultural and industrial pollution, and updates how the state classifies threatened species. It expands regulation of farming practices across all Reef catchment areas to reduce nutrient and sediment run-off that harms coral and marine ecosystems.
Biodiscovery and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2019
This bill protects First Nations traditional knowledge from being used without consent in biodiscovery — the scientific study of native plants, animals and organisms for commercial purposes like medicines or bioplastics. It requires researchers to negotiate benefit sharing with knowledge custodians and aligns Queensland law with the international Nagoya Protocol.
Nature Conservation (Special Wildlife Reserves) and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2018
This bill creates a new type of protected area called a 'special wildlife reserve' for privately owned or managed land with outstanding conservation value. It gives private land the same level of legal protection as a national park, banning mining, forestry, and fossicking while keeping the land in private ownership. The bill also ensures conservation agreements survive changes in land tenure and extends environmental regulation to cover activities straddling state and Commonwealth waters in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.